Boxer Bernard Hopkins biography. Hopkins Bernard: biography and personal life. Further career development

Hopkins Bernard is a light heavyweight boxer born in Philadelphia in 1965 on January 15th. The athlete can boast of two outstanding achievements - the title of world champion and the title of the first middleweight champion in Philadelphia.

Childhood and youth

It is known that Bernard Hopkins grew up in a rather poor family, where he did not receive the right upbringing. The great boxer spent his entire childhood on the street, where he constantly participated in fights with boys. Incorrect upbringing, or rather its complete absence, the influence of the street and freedom are factors that negatively affected the development of the personality of the future athlete. One of the street fights ended unsuccessfully for the guy; he was stabbed at the age of 13.

The boxer's teenage years were not like those of most teenagers. In 1983, a court hearing was held at which the verdict was announced for several teenagers, among them was Bernard Hopkins.

The boxer's biography is quite colorful, but only on the negative side. He spent almost 5 years behind bars, was released from custody in 1988, became a Muslim and swore an oath not to return to his criminal past. He chose boxing as a means of correcting his own life.

First failure

The boxer's professional career began 29 years ago - in 1988. The first fight took place on October 11, and Hopkins’ opponent was Clint Mitchell. The battle was lost. Hopkins did not become upset about his defeat, but only insisted that of the two closed gates, one would still be open. This statement can be said to be true in this case.

The defeat to Mitchell was the impetus for the athlete, who signed a contract with English Fight coach Fisher. The joint tandem brought positive results. 22 victories, 16 of which were knockouts, 3 years of hard work to obtain the first championship belt - the initial achievements that Bernard Hopkins can boast of. The boxer’s biography, from a sports point of view, began right then.

Boxer's triumph

Many claimed that Bernard - new star boxing in the light heavyweight category. The athlete has every chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion. Moreover, at that time, the great and invincible Jones gave up his title to move to another weight.

In 1995, fate gave Hopkins a gift: a fight with Segundo Mercado, who was in second place in the boxing rankings. The fight between boxers took place in the town of Maryland.

Bernard Hopkins, whose biography, personal life and career is replete with interesting facts, has fulfilled his dream. He became absolute champion IBF. All next fights to confirm the title were won by Hopkins.

Path to glory

The following years were successful for the boxer. In 1998, a fight took place between Bernard Hopkins and Allen, during which the athlete was seriously injured. During the fight, Hopkins injured his ankle when he fell through the rope fence of the ring.

A year later, a rematch took place, which had to be interrupted due to a technical knockout. It is worth noting that the rematch ended in victory for Bernard, because, fortunately, he quickly managed to recover from his injury.

Last bow

Hopkins Bernard is engaged professional boxing already 29 years old. Then, at the beginning of his boxing career, he swore that he would never return to that old life and end his existence in one of the meaningless street fights.

The boxer kept his promise. His opponents argued that to beat Hopkins it was not enough to use his hands hard and fast. You need to learn not to “let” him into your own head, not to let him read your thoughts - this is just strong point, which Hopkins can boast of. Photos of the boxer prove that he has a sharp and precise stinging gaze that is difficult to escape.

Hopkins Bernard's last fight was with Joe Smith Jr. In the first two rounds, it was difficult for the young boxer to resist the professional. Hopkins resisted quite zealously, which proved that his old skills had not yet been lost. But it is worth noting that Smith’s youth took over, he was able to increase his speed, but Hopkins, due to his age, was not.

The eighth round was decisive. Joe gathered all his strength and attacked Bernard, knocking him out of the ring. Most likely, Bernard understood that everything would not end for him as he would like, and stopped resisting, waiting for the referee’s verdict.

At the end of the fight, Hopkins Bernard accused Smith of violating the rules. He claimed that the young boxer pushed him out of the ring, which is not allowed. Then he talked about his sore ankle; he supposedly rested on it when he fell. But the recordings showed that the athlete fell head down, but not with his feet. Perhaps Bernard did not want to admit to himself that his film had come to an end, and a calm and peaceful old age awaited him.

Life outside the ring

All my conscious professional life Bernard paid great attention to children whose childhood could not be called colorful and correct. He visited dysfunctional families, spent a lot of time with children, and many thought that such actions would have a bad effect on the boxer’s career. Bernard tried in every possible way to guide young people on the true and correct path; he told children about the positive influence of sports. And his own life was an example. Until now, he actively promotes a healthy and sports lifestyle among teenagers.

In addition, Bernard Hopkins finds words for teenagers that make even wealthy adults think. For example, he says that he was not born in a shirt and not in an environment where everything comes easily and simply. He claims that everyone is capable of building their own correct life, everyone can fulfill their dreams, the main thing is to do everything wisely. The athlete gives himself as an example with the phrase: “I am a simple homeless street boy who has achieved unimaginable success on his own.” And it is true.

As for the boxer’s personal life, he has a wonderful wife, whom he met many years ago after being released from prison. All friends, fans and those around him know that Bernard publicly idolizes his wife. Hopkins claims that without his wife he could not achieve half of what he has now.

Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins

WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO middleweight champion

Date of birth: 01/15/1965

Place of birth: Philadelphia, USA

Height: 185 cm

Weight: 72.5 kg

Attack distance: 178 cm

Track record: 45 wins (32 knockouts), 2 losses, 1 draw

Hopkins acquired much of his boxing skills in street fights, fighting with teenagers from the area. Hopkins' teachers said he wouldn't live to see 18. At 17, he faced the prospect of spending 18 years in prison. “I went to court 30 times in two years,” says Bernard. - I have never stolen from women or used weapons. In truth, I went to court to escape the brutality of the street. I regret all the things I did then, but the path I chose later speaks for itself.” Hopkins spent almost 5 years, from 1984 to 1989, in the Graterford Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. “I haven’t even spit on the sidewalk since then,” Hopkins says.

My professional career Hopkins started on October 11, 1988, losing on points to Clinton Mitchell. The fight took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey and lasted 4 rounds. Hopkins didn't worry about losing because his Dream was still achievable. Someone said, “When one door is closed, another is always open.” In the case of Bernard Hopkins, this saying turned out to be true. After losing to Mitchell, he makes the fateful decision to hire English "Bouie" Fisher as his trainer. Under his leadership, Hopkins wins 22 victories in a row, 16 of them by knockout, and three and a half years later wins the first one in his life championship belt. His Dream almost came true on May 22, 1993, when Hopkins faced Roy Jones for the vacant IBF belt. Hopkins was ranked No. 1, Jones No. 2. Bernard took the distance game that Jones forced on him and lost on points. Despite the loss, the second of his career, many were forced to recognize Hopkins as the new star in the middleweight division. He had another chance to make his dreams come true when Jones gave up the title to move up to the next weight class to face James Toney.

On December 17, 1994, Hopkins entered the ring against Segundo Mercado, who was ranked second in the ranking. This fight for the vacant IBF title took place in the Ecuadorian city of Quito and ended in a points draw. During the 12 rounds of the fight, the boxers exchanged blows only twice.

Hopkins' dream finally came true in a rematch with Mercado, which took place on April 29, 1995 at the USAir Arena in Maryland, two hours from his hometown of Philadelphia. This time Hopkins did not rely on the judges' decision. He watched tapes of Tyson's fights for inspiration, and during the match he threw right hands, one blow after another. Ultimately, the fight was stopped in the seventh round. The next five title defenses ended in knockouts. One of them was ex-champion John David Jackson. The fight took place on April 19, 1997. Left-handed Jackson played all his cards in the opening rounds, and in the 7th he found himself helplessly pinned in the corner, which forced referee Johnny Femia to stop the fight.

Bernard scored another 11th-round knockout over future light heavyweight champion Glencoffe Johnson on July 20, 1997, and later that year defeated Andrew Council on points. On January 31, 1998, Hopkins once again confirmed that he has the right to claim the title of the best boxer in the world in all weight categories, stopping Simon Brown in the sixth round. On August 28, 1998, in Las Vegas, Hopkins met with Robert Allen. In the fourth round, while referee Mills Lane was breaking up the boxers in a clinch, Hopkins slipped and fell through the ropes to the floor, injuring his ankle. The rematch, which took place on February 6, 1999, ended in a technical knockout in the 7th round. December 12, 1999 In Miami, Bernard Hopkins met with Antwun Echols. Echols, who had a heavy blow, simply stunned Hopkins in the first round, but Bernard found the strength to maintain his composure and won the fight on points. On May 13, 2000, Hopkins fought with Syd Vanderpool, and on December 1, a rematch with Echols took place. In both fights, the victory remained with Hopkins: Vanderpool lost on points by unanimous decision, Echols - by technical knockout in the 10th round (in this fight, Echols knocked Hopkins down with a rugby lunge, dislocating his shoulder, but Hopkins refused to win due to the disqualification of his opponent and continued the fight, knocking down his opponent in the next round). Both of these fights were remembered for the scandals that erupted around them. The ability to create controversy by attracting attention to fights became a characteristic of Hopkins, which he later used to achieve the most important fight of his life. Even though Hopkins had already made 12 successful defenses of his title, he never received the worldwide recognition he deserved. His next move changed that, as well as the history of boxing in general.

In 2001, Hopkins, who had been extremely distrustful of promoters all his life, made the fateful decision to sign a contract with the legendary Don King. Hopkins immediately joins Don King's diamond collection of middleweight champions, which included WBC champion Keith Holmes, WBA champion William Joppy and Puerto Rican superstar undefeated Felix "Tito" Trinidad. five-time champion world, who abandoned the IBF and WBA junior middleweight belts in order to move to middleweight. On April 14, 2001, Hopkins faced Holmes and defeated him by unanimous decision, using his usual style, formed in street fights in Philadelphia. This was Hopkins' thirteenth defense, breaking Marvin Hagler's record for most successful middleweight title defenses. He takes the WBC belt from Holmes and, intending to move on, participates in the tournament along with the rest of Don King's middleweight champions.

On May 12 at Madison Square Garden, in front of 18,235 of his fellow Puerto Ricans, Trinidad fought Joppy. Already at the end of the first round, Trinidad drops his opponent with his famous left hook, sends him to the floor again in the fourth round, and twice in the fifth, after which the beating is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante. Hopkins watched the fight from ringside. Now he had to face Trinidad. First of all, he had to convince Trinidad and his headquarters that for Tito this battle would be the most important in his life.

Hopkins rushes through a four-city press tour, starting in New York, where he angrily throws a Puerto Rican flag to the ground. Many expected Hopkins to apologize the next day, but he refused to do so. "I won't apologize," Hopkins said. - I always think before I do something. And I won’t back down.” But then Hopkins did something truly rash: in the Roberto Clemente Coliseo, on Trinidad's home soil in Puerto Rico, in front of ten thousand Puerto Ricans, he threw their country's flag to the floor again. A scandal broke out. Hopkins was barely able to escape the outraged crowd. In subsequent interviews, Hopkins reinforced the belief that he was going to use his usual tactics in the fight against Trinidad and rain down blows on his opponent to the body, but this was the greatest frame-up in the history of boxing. “I get accused of fighting dirty,” Hopkins said, “but this is boxing, not golf. If you don't like it, watch golf and drink iced tea." After the flag incident, Hopkins made quite a few accurate predictions for the fight. “I saw the fear in Trinidad's eyes when I let go of the flag (and dropped it to the ground) in New York. Maybe for the first time in his life he is not sure of his victory. In his entire career, Trinidad has never had to use a Plan B, but when the time comes, he will dance to my tune.” “I'm too good for Trinidad. I will throw him to such depths where he has never been before. Best qualities Trinidad - his fortitude, will and determination. He won't back down. The referee and Trinidad Dad (Felix's father and coach) will be forced to save him. I prefer to win by knockout, but Trinidad will not give up and because of his tenacity he will have to endure so much pain that people will be shocked." Most still believed that Trinidad would win this fight, and many were confident that the fight would be dirty, but they were all wrong.

Even the terrorist attacks of September 11, which caused the fight to be moved from September 15 to the 29th, could not distract Hopkins from his goal. In front of a crowd of nineteen thousand gathered at Madison Square Garden, Hopkins demonstrated such composure and quality of boxing that he disarmed Trinidad and in doing so shocked the entire boxing world. In this fight, which will forever be remembered by boxing fans, Bernard boxed magnificently. Apparently Hopkins and his trainer Bowie Fisher spent many hours watching tapes of Tito's fights and trying to find the key to him. During the fight, Hopkins moved around the ring a lot and punched, and the puncher Trinidad only tried to throw his terrible left hook over and over again. Felix looked confused: he had never been beaten like that in his entire career. All of Hopkins' predictions for this fight came true, including the fact that Trinidad's father and trainer was forced to stop the fight to save his son from being beaten. This happened in the second minute of the last, twelfth, round, after a crushing right hand that Hopkins unleashed on his opponent. Trinidad was still trying to muster the strength to continue the fight, but his father decided that enough was enough. Referee Steve Smoger had only to make it official. Bernard Hopkins became the first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler. Asked when he realized Trinidad was afraid of him, Hopkins replied: “When he signed the contract. Honestly, I'm the best middleweight boxer in the world. I am the new reincarnation of Ray Robinson and Marvin Hagler." USA Today named Hopkins the best boxer of 2001, and he received the same honor from the Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles.

On February 2, 2002, in his native Pennsylvania, Hopkins made a mandatory title defense against challenger IBF versions Carl Daniels. Hopkins controlled the fight from the start, and after the tenth round Daniels gave up. This was Hopkins' fifteenth successful title defense. He broke Carlos Monzon's record set in 1977. In his next three fights, against Morad Hakkar, William Joppy and Robert Allen, Hopkins also scored convincing victories, further cementing his reputation as one of the greatest boxers our time.

On September 18, 2004, Bernard Hopkins met Oscar De La Hoya and, having defeated him by knockout in the ninth round, became the first boxer in history to unify the championship titles of four major organizations: WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO.

IN last years Hopkins is also involved social work, communicating a lot with children and disadvantaged areas. Bernard tries to help the boys choose the right path in life. He spends so much time with them that sometimes it threatens his career, since there is very little time left for training. One of his favorite pastimes is connecting with the youth of Philadelphia. Hopkins is trying to be a positive influence on them. “I wasn’t born wearing a shirt,” says Bernard. - All these guys can achieve anything they want in life if they put in enough effort and approach their dreams wisely. I use myself as an example of how a boy who grew up on the streets can succeed in life.”

Biography, life story of Bernard Hopkins

Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins is an American professional boxer, WBC, IBF, WBA and WBO middleweight champion, WBC, IBO, IBF and WBA light heavyweight champion.

A little about Bernard

Date of birth: 01/15/1965.

Place of birth: Philadelphia, USA.

Bernard Hopkins achieved two major goals in his career: becoming a world champion and the first middleweight champion from Philadelphia.

Childhood

Bernard was born into a dysfunctional family. No one was involved in raising the boy. He spent all his childhood years on the street, surrounded by the same abandoned children. What they did all day is clear. A harsh atmosphere, excessive freedom of action, lack of senior mentors... All this did not have the most positive effect on the development of Hopkins' personality. Already at the age of thirteen, the boy received his first stab wound in one of the many conflicts among the street brethren.

Hopkins acquired much of his boxing skills in street fights, fighting with teenagers from the neighborhood. Hopkins' teachers said he wouldn't live to see 18. At 17, he faced the prospect of spending 18 years in prison. “In 2 years I went to court 30 times, said Bernard. – I have never stolen from a woman or used a weapon. In truth, I went to court to escape the brutality of the street. I regret all the things I did then, but the path I chose later speaks for itself.”. Hopkins spent almost 5 years, from 1984 to 1989, in the Graterford Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. “Since then I haven’t even spit on the sidewalk.”, said Hopkins.

When Bernard was released from prison, he decided to put an end to his criminal past once and for all. Having thought everything over carefully, the future champion decided that he needed to decide on two things - faith (after all, it is this that often gives a person strength) and calling. A little later, Hopkins converted to Islam and began boxing.

CONTINUED BELOW

Hopkins began his professional career on October 11, 1988, losing on points to Clinton Mitchell. The fight took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey and lasted 4 rounds. Hopkins didn't worry about losing because his dream was still achievable. Someone said: “When one door is closed, another is always open”. In the case of Bernard Hopkins, this saying turned out to be true. After losing to Mitchell, he makes the fateful decision to hire English "Bouie" Fisher as his trainer. Under his leadership, Hopkins wins 22 victories in a row, 16 of them by knockout, and three and a half years later wins the first championship belt in his life. His dream almost came true on May 22, 1993, when Hopkins faced Roy Jones for the vacant IBF belt. Hopkins was ranked No. 1, Jones was No. 2. Bernard took the distance game that Jones forced on him and lost on points. Despite the loss, the second of his career, many were forced to recognize Hopkins as the new star in the middleweight division. He had another chance to make his dreams come true when Jones gave up the title to move up to the next weight class and face .

On December 17, 1994, Hopkins entered the ring against Segundo Mercado, who was ranked second in the ranking. This fight for the vacant IBF title took place in the Ecuadorian city of Quito and ended in a points draw. During the 12 rounds of the fight, the boxers exchanged blows only twice.

Hopkins' dream finally came true in a rematch with Mercado, which took place on April 29, 1995 at the USAir Arena in Maryland, two hours from his hometown of Philadelphia. This time Hopkins did not rely on the judges' decision. He watched fight tapes for inspiration, and during the match he threw one right hand after another. The fight was eventually stopped in the seventh round. The next five title defenses ended in knockouts. One of them was ex-champion John David Jackson. The fight took place on April 19, 1997. Left-handed Jackson played all his cards in the opening rounds, and in the 7th he found himself helplessly pinned in the corner, which forced referee Johnny Femia to stop the fight.

Bernard scored another 11th round knockout over future light heavyweight champion Glencoffe Johnson on July 20, 1997, and later that year defeated Andrew Council on points. On January 31, 1998, Hopkins once again confirmed that he has the right to claim the title of the best boxer in the world in all weight categories, stopping Simon Brown in the sixth round. On August 28, 1998, in Las Vegas, Hopkins met with Robert Allen. In the fourth round, while referee Mills Lane was breaking up the boxers in a clinch, Hopkins slipped and fell through the ropes to the floor, injuring his ankle. The rematch, which took place on February 6, 1999, ended in a technical knockout in the 7th round. On December 12, 1999, in Miami, Bernard Hopkins met with Antwun Echols. Echols, who had a heavy blow, simply stunned Hopkins in the first round, but Bernard found the strength to maintain his composure and won the fight on points. On May 13, 2000, Hopkins fought with Syd Vanderpool, and on December 1, a rematch with Echols took place. In both fights, the victory remained with Hopkins: Vanderpool lost on points by unanimous decision, Echols - by technical knockout in the 10th round (in this fight, Echols knocked Hopkins down with a rugby lunge, dislocating his shoulder, but Hopkins refused to win due to the disqualification of his opponent and continued the fight, knocking down his opponent in the next round). Both of these fights were remembered for the scandals that erupted around them.

The ability to create controversy by attracting attention to fights became a characteristic of Hopkins, which he later used to achieve the most important fight of his life. Even though Hopkins had already made 12 successful defenses of his title, he never received the worldwide recognition he deserved. His next move changed that, as well as the history of boxing in general.

In 2001, Hopkins, who had been extremely distrustful of promoters all his life, made the fateful decision to sign a contract with the legendary Don King. Hopkins immediately joins Don King's diamond collection of middleweight champions, which included WBC champion Keith Holmes, WBA champion William Joppy and the Puerto Rican superstar - an undefeated, five-time world champion who renounced the IBF and WBA belts in junior middleweight for the sake of moving to middleweight. On April 14, 2001, Hopkins faced Holmes and defeated him by unanimous decision, using his usual style, formed in street fights in Philadelphia. This was Hopkins' thirteenth defense, breaking Marvin Hagler's record for most successful middleweight title defenses. He takes the WBC belt from Holmes and, intending to move on, participates in the tournament along with the rest of Don King's middleweight champions.

On May 12 at Madison Square Garden, in front of 18,235 of his fellow Puerto Ricans, he fought Joppy. Already at the end of the first round, he drops his opponent with his famous left hook, sends him to the floor again in the fourth round and twice in the fifth, after which this beating is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante. Hopkins watched the fight from ringside. Now he had to meet. First of all, he had to convince his headquarters that this battle would be the most important thing in his life.

Hopkins rushes through a four-city press tour, starting in New York, where he angrily throws a Puerto Rican flag to the ground. Many expected Hopkins to apologize the next day, but he refused to do so. "I won't apologize, said Hopkins. – I always think before I do something. And I will not back down." But then Hopkins did something really rash: in the Roberto Clemente Coliseo, on home soil in Puerto Rico, in front of ten thousand Puerto Ricans, he again threw their country's flag to the floor. A scandal broke out. Hopkins was barely able to escape the outraged crowd. In subsequent interviews, Hopkins reinforced the belief that he was going to use his usual tactics in the fight and rain down blows on the opponent's torso, but this was the greatest frame-up in the history of boxing. "I'm accused of fighting dirty., said Hopkins, but this is boxing, not golf. If you don't like it, watch golf and drink iced tea.". After the flag incident, Hopkins made quite a few accurate predictions for the fight. “I saw fear in my eyes when I let go of the flag (and dropped it to the ground) in New York. Maybe for the first time in his life he is not sure of his victory. In his entire career, he has never had to use Plan B, but when the time comes, he will dance to my tune. I'm too good for . I will throw him to such depths where he has never been before. His best qualities are his fortitude, will and determination. He won't back down. The referee and Trinidad Dad (father and coach) will be forced to save him. I prefer to win by knockout, but he won’t give up and because of his tenacity he will have to endure so much pain that people will simply be shocked.”. Most still believed that he would win this fight, and many were sure that the fight would be dirty, but they were all wrong.

Even the terrorist attacks of September 11, which caused the fight to be moved from September 15 to the 29th, could not distract Hopkins from his goal. In front of a crowd of nineteen thousand gathered at Madison Square Garden, Hopkins demonstrated such composure and quality of boxing that he disarmed and shocked the entire boxing world. In this fight, which will forever be remembered by boxing fans, Bernard boxed magnificently. Apparently Hopkins and his trainer Bowie Fisher spent many hours watching fight tapes and trying to find the key to him. During the fight, Hopkins moved around the ring a lot and punched, and the puncher only tried to throw his terrible left hook over and over again. looked confused: he had never been beaten like that in his entire career. All of Hopkins' predictions regarding this fight came true, even the fact that the father and trainer was forced to stop the fight to save his son from being beaten. This happened in the second minute of the last, twelfth round after a crushing right hand that Hopkins unleashed on his opponent.

On October 11, 1988, a young Philadelphia guy entered the ring for the first time to try to earn an honest living. The 23-year-old guy began his career with five years of prison experience under his belt and a nine-year parole sentence, which did not allow him to even break the rules traffic, not to mention the robbery, for participation in which he was sent to the Graterford correctional colony. For that fight, which ended in defeat, Bernard Hopkins earned $350 and then spent almost a year and a half deep in thought: did he choose the right path for correction?

December 17, 2016. Almost 52-year-old Bernard Hopkins enters the ring as a living legend, with many achievements and incredible records behind him. Former champion world in two weight categories, the former leader of the pound-for-pound rating (2002 and 2004 according to Ring Magazine) and one of the strongest boxers of the last twenty years will say goodbye to boxing. The outcome of the fight with Joe Smith Jr. is still unknown, but there is no doubt that Hopkins was not mistaken in his choice of path at the time.

Today, Bernard Hopkins has everything that any fighter dreams of: a huge boxing legacy, preserved health and a successful business that will allow him to save and increase money even after his career ends.

It's just a matter of little things - put a bright spot and draw a line under the 28-year-old sports career. It is noteworthy that Bernard, like many times before, chooses the best option in order to achieve his goal. Now Hopkins' task is to defeat a worthy opponent without tarnishing his reputation in an outright mismatch, and also to become a role model and motivation for many ordinary people.

“Many people make assumptions about others based on age. But age is just a number. My mission is to prove this. In a month I will turn 52, and I continue to perform at the very high level. I inspire people. So this farewell fight is not just for me, my fans and my legacy. It’s for all people,” ESPN quotes the Philadelphian as saying.

You can say as much as you like that Bernard is a boring boxer, you can long and reasonably accuse him of spoilers and dirty boxing, and also be glad that early Sunday morning this irritant will no longer be in the fist sport. But the fact remains that his fans will miss him, neutral fans will nod respectfully in his direction and constantly use B-Hop’s name in comparisons with others, and haters, celebrating the retirement of an unloved boxer, will pay tribute to him somewhere deep down. . An entire era is passing.

In his nearly 30-year career, Hopkins has set several significant records that are unlikely to be broken in the foreseeable future. Hopkins remains the only boxer to have made twenty consecutive successful middleweight title defenses. The victory over Oscar De La Hoya in 2004 allowed Bernard not only to strengthen his status as a superstar, but also to become the first boxer in history to unify all four of the most prestigious championship titles - WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF. In the end, the Executioner became the oldest world champion, broke his own record several times, and then also became the oldest fighter to unify the belts.

Such achievements of the Philadelphian are given even greater weight by the fact that throughout almost his entire career he managed without a powerful patron, promoting his career independently. In the late 90s, Hopkins was one of the few champions who openly fought for the rights of boxers infringed by promoters.

“Promoters use boxers, exploit them, one might say, rob them every day. The choice is small: either fight this state of affairs, or become part of the system. As a champion, I am obliged to take a principled position,” Bernard said in a 1999 interview with Sport Illustrated.

This position, naturally, left its mark on the boxer’s fees. For example, having been a champion for five years, Bernard earned only $450,000 for his fight with Sid Vanderpool in 2000.

The financial situation changed dramatically when Hopkins entered Don King's top middleweight tournament to determine the undisputed middleweight champion. First, Bernard dealt with Keith Holmes, and then unexpectedly inflicted his first defeat on Puerto Rican star Felix Trinidad. Despite the fact that Tito earned $9 million, the winner was “limited” to only 2.5 million. Hopkins received his biggest payday for defeating his current business partner in Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, earning more than in his entire previous career.

Hopkins is guaranteed to take his place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. By and large, he deserved to be there much earlier, but he independently delayed his participation in the ceremony for at least ten years. You can only get there five years after the end of your career, and they started sending Hopkins out into retirement since the mid-2000s. But he made the jump to light heavyweight, where he began to swagger, losing on points by decision only to light heavyweight leaders Joe Calzaghe, Chad Dawson and Sergey Kovalev.

In the last 7-8 years there have been many fighters who have entered the ring against the Executioner. He lost to some, as was the case with Calzaghe, Dawson and Crusher, and won against others, leaving serious guys like Kelly Pavlik, Jean Pascal, Tavoris Cloud out of work. But these are just names. The main rival during this period remained age. Each time, Bernard Hopkins was considered the constant underdog of such a confrontation, but until that moment he successfully dealt with it and emerged victorious. The talented Chad Dawson, considered the strongest light heavyweight of the time, although he won, looked paler compared to the Philadelphia pensioner. Sergey Kovalev, the terror of the entire division, was never able to knock out Hopkins. But these were best boxers division, and at this level no one makes allowances for age.

Regardless of the outcome of the fight with Joe Smith, B-Hop's boxing legacy will not go away. He has long written his name in history. But Hopkins needs to win. With all due respect to Joe Smith, even with an eye on his spectacular victory over Andrzej Fonfara, he is not the right bird to defeat such a master as Hopkins. If this happens, it will mean only one thing: B-Hop's long struggle against time is over and, despite many victories in local battles, Bernard has lost the war, ending the battle not on his own terms.

During his life, this famous boxer achieved dizzying success in his career and built strong relationships. You will learn about how Bernard went to his victories and how he experienced his downfalls in our article.

Childhood and adolescence

As you know, Hopkins Bernard was born into a dysfunctional family, so the boy never received a proper education. The future boxer spent his childhood on the street, devoting everything free time fights with peers. Lack of upbringing, freedom of action, bad influence - all this significantly affected the development of Bernard's personality. In one of the street fights, Hopkins received And this at only 13 years old.

Jail

As you know, Hopkins acquired most of his skills by participating in all kinds of street fights. The guy's school teachers claimed that Bernard was unlikely to live to see his 18th birthday.

At the age of 17, the young man stands trial. He faces the terrible prospect of going to jail for 18 years. As the boxer Bernard Hopkins himself said: “I regret everything I’ve done in my life, I regret that I chose this path. I admit that I have never stolen from children, women or old people. It just so happens that you have to answer for all your actions.”

Bernard spent 5 years in the Grayford Colony of Pennsylvania. The authorities believed that during this time the guy had completely improved. As the boxer himself said: “After so many years in prison, I’m afraid to spit on the sidewalk.”

It should be noted that after leaving prison, Bernard Hopkins converted to Islam.

First failure

Bernard Hopkins began taking his first steps towards a boxing career in 1988. The battle in which he participated was lost. The fight took place in New Jersey and lasted 4 rounds. The loss did not in any way affect the boxer’s further aspirations, but, on the contrary, pushed him to move on with renewed vigor.

Victories and first achievements

After his first defeat, Bernard Hopkins, whose quotes were read by millions, decides to hire a coach. The choice falls not on anyone, but on English Fisher (Bowie) himself. Under his leadership, Hopkins won 22 times, with 16 of his fights ending by knockout.

Championship title

After some time, Bernard Hopkins meets with the fight for the IBF title. Bernard hopes that this particular day will be fateful for him. But it didn’t happen - the boxer lost on points. Despite the loss, many recognized Hopkins as a true middleweight boxing star.

A year later, the boxer again has a chance to make his dream come true. On April 29, 1995, he faces second-ranked Segundo Mercado. The fight takes place in the city of Maryland. Finally, Bernard Hopkins, whose biography is full of interesting facts, achieves his goal. He is the IBF champion. Subsequent fights to confirm the title ended in knockouts of opponents. Among the losers was John Jackson, who was unable to resist his opponent already in the 7th round of the fight.

Victories, victories, victories...

In 1998, the boxer met with Robert Allen. The fight ended with Hopkins injured. He fell over the rope and injured his ankle. Fortunately, Bernard quickly came to his senses and in the rematch easily defeated his opponent, knocking him out in the 6th round.

World recognition

Despite the fact that Hopkins fought all his fights, winning only victories, he never achieved world recognition. In 2001, he signed a contract with and in the same year became part of his diamond collection of middleweight champions.

In 2001, he again won, this time over Hopkins. Now Hopkins holds the record for the number of successful defenses of the championship title.

Next he faces a fight with Trinidad, a boxer from Puerto Rico. It should be noted that Hopkins has always been distinguished by his rash actions. So it is in this case. The day before the fight, the boxer threw the Puerto Rican flag on the floor and stood on it with his feet. The whole world was waiting for an apology from Bernard, but it never came. Moreover, in front of tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans, Hopkins threw the flag again and wiped his shoes on it. Then he barely escaped the angry crowd.

Fight with Trinidad

The fight was expected to be bloody. Hopkins provoked his opponent more and more. On September 15, 2001, the long-awaited battle took place. It was the first time in his life that a Puerto Rican boxer had been beaten like that. His father even had to stop the fight due to multiple injuries on his son’s face.

In the same year, Hopkins was recognized as 2001.

Further career development

In 2004, Bernard faced and defeated Hopkins. Now he's the owner championship titles 4 organizations. As the boxer himself says: “My life has finally acquired a new color. Now I am an innovation in boxing. I am the guru and god of boxing. No one will ever be able to defeat me.”

Social activity

Hopkins has always paid a lot of attention to children from disadvantaged families. He spent so much time with them that it could hinder the development of his career. Hopkins tried to have a positive influence on the boys and demonstrate his own example from life. To this day, the boxer tries to pay maximum attention to them.

Personal life

After Bernard Hopkins was released from prison, he was lucky enough to meet good girl. The couple is still together to this day. The boxer always says publicly that this is his beloved woman, to whom he is grateful for everything.